Danielle Solzman
Guardians of the Galaxy‘s James Gunn stops by the DC universe to helm The Suicide Squad and put his own hysterical spin on things.
I should not have to warn you but I am: PLEASE STAY FOR THE END OF THE CREDITS.
Belle Reve plays home to the highest mortality rate of any American prison. When it’s home to the worst Super-Villains on Earth, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) can always come walking in to recruit anybody she wants for an assignment. What we have here is a nice collection of Super-Villains for this edition of The Suicide Squad, including Task Force X.
Led by Col. Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Waller sends Robert DuBois/Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Christopher Smith/Peacemaker (John Cena), George “Digger” Harkness/Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Cleo Cazo/Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), Abner Krill/Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), Brian Durlin/Savant (Michael Rooker), Nanaue/King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), Richard Hertz/Blackguard (Pete Davidson), Cory Pitzner/T.D.K. (Nathan Fillion), Weasel (Sean Gunn), Mongal (Mayling Ng), Gunter Braun/Javelin (Flula Borg), and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) to the island of Corto Maltese. Once they get there, it’s off to find the Gaius Grieves/Thinker (Peter Capaldi). One wrong move and Waller can push the button and boom, it’s off with their heads! Hence, the Suicide Squad.
Gunn takes inspiration for the film’s style from The Dirty Dozen and Kelly’s Heroes, Where Eagles Dare, and Platoon. He knows exactly the type of story he wants to tell. To no surprise, he brings his humorous vision along for the gritty ride. And because we’re talking about James Gunn, nobody knows who lives or dies. This film features some big names in the cast and they could be dead within a moment. You’ll get no spoilers from me on that front. But here’s the thing about James Gunn: if you take away his sensibilities, this would not be the same film. He doesn’t just go for the big-name characters but even digs up obscure ones from the comics. What Gunn brings to the film is what makes The Suicide Squad watchable unlike its predecessor.
The beach scene early in the film takes place on the studio backlot. It just speaks to how impressive a film can be in terms of practicality. You’d have thought they were shooting off of an actual coast! But anyway, the set piece is one of many amazing set pieces to enjoy about the film. There are no shortage of set pieces that allow characters like Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Harley Quinn, and more to show off their skills. The rats in the film are also a mix of real and fake ones!
Filmmakers have this tendency to work with talent repeatedly. It comes as no surprise to see Gunn bringing over a number of Guardians veterans. Even Thor‘s Idris Elba joins in on the fun, too. But hey, it’s James Gunn and anyone that didn’t make time is probably regretting whatever scheduling conflict they had. I don’t know if the same music supervisors came over from Guardians but there’s a nice soundtrack here, too.
It ought to be illegal just how hysterical The Suicide Squad is. Listen, I did not see the first film but DC made the right move here in bringing Gunn on to write and direct. I cannot say this enough! After the first film got terrible reviews and high marks for Margot Robbie (she’s also great in this film, too), it was clear that they needed to right the ship. I’m here to tell you that this is exactly what they did. It’s honestly the best film from DC since releasing Wonder Woman in 2017.
The Suicide Squad is the funniest DC film since Shazam.
DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: James Gunn
CAST: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker, Alice Braga, Pete Davidson, Joaquín Cosio, Juan Diego Botto, Storm Reid, Nathan Fillion, Steve Agee, Sean Gunn, Mayling Ng, Flula Borg, Jennifer Hollan, Tinashe Kajese, Taika Waititi, with Sylvester Stallone and Viola Davis
